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My thoughts on Blood Meridian
I finished the book a few days ago and, wow. It's definitely the best book I've ever read, though I'm not much of a reader. I actually messaged my old english teacher to talk to him about it because I remember him mentioning McCarthy, and he said that he doesn't talk about it in class because of the contents.
I'm getting back into reading and while Blood Meridian was definitely worth it I wish that I had started with an easier book; it was tough, there were words I've never heard before, philosophical monologues that I couldn't wrap my head around their point, entire conversations in Spanish, and no punctuation to identify dialogue.
However I loved everything. The descriptions are excellent and drawn-out but never get boring, the setting is utilised so well, the characters are all amazing, and even if the book confuses you it is clear that beneath the epic narrative there is a deep, meaningful thematic message being told.
\*SPOILERS AHEAD\*
The Judge is the most unsettling person I have ever seen in both fiction and reality. He was always mysterious and creepy but for me he became truly horrific near the end.
When Glanton comes back from San Diego to the gang's fortress on the Colorado River and sees him standing on a ridge wearing primitive clothing like some apocalyptic warlord; it was only then, not during his sermon about war like most, that I began to understand how evil he is, and I got chills.
And when I realised that he's a pedophile and my mind flashed to all the seemingly irrelevant scenes of him being around or interested in children only for them to disappear or be found dead I experienced disgust and fear that I've never had before from fiction.
I re-read some scenes and the one that both scares me the most and I believe to be most thematically important is in the abandoned mine in New Mexico when he asks the men about the mixed-race boy living there and Glanton spits and shakes his head. When I realised that he knew exactly what the Judge planned to do and did nothing to stop him I no-joke screamed. I actually screamed out loud. That really hit me like a truck.
I just wanted to express how masterfully McCarthy wrote him, but anyway, onto my analysis.
ANALYSIS (TL;DR at bottom)
I watched some YouTube videos about the book and have to say that Wendigoon's analysis makes the most sense to me, not just because it's more optimistic than most. I'll extrapolate on it a bit because I don't think he spent enough time on it in his video.
CONTEXT:
In the penultimate scene the Judge talks to the Man about dancing in a saloon. He says that all the members of the gang didn't dance. Then he asks the Man if he dances. I'm sure that after spending a year listening the the Judge's vague idealistic monologues around the campfire the Man was sick of his silver tongue so gave it no thought, because he says something about him not liking dancing. Then the Judge says that he himself is always dancing. Soon after that he seems to just disappear and the Man spends some time with a prostitute.
When he returns to the main hall he sees everyone is dancing jollily. He is faced with the choice of joining in or leaving through the back door. He leaves and is murdered by the Judge in the outhouse.
The final scene is the Judge dancing and fiddling amongst the crowd. He says the he's always dancing, that he never sleeps, and that he'll never die.
A very common opinion regarding the book is that the Judge is the devil, and I definitely agree, there are numerous things eluding to this that I won't mention, I don't want this post to get too long.
So the Judge is evil in the flesh. He says that he's always dancing, that he doesn't sleep, and that he'll never die. The meaning of this is that evil is eternal and can never be destroyed. However, he says that the gang doesn't dance, and the Man unintentionally agrees with his metaphorical point by saying he doesn't like dancing.
The gang and the Man not dancing mean that they don't confront evil. When fiction intends for violence to be disturbing it is usually because either how grotesque it is or that the perpetrator derives pleasure from it. What disturbed me most about the violence in Blood Meridian (especially the raid on the Apache village) was neither of these things; rather the sheer indifference that the gang (excluding the Judge ofc) had towards it.
Them being apathetic to evil is them choosing to not dance with it. The argument of psychopathy is dismissed by the scene I mentioned earlier where Glanton is disgusted by the Judge raping and murdering the child, as well as the scene where Toadvine threatens to shoot him for killing the Apache child. Glanton knowing full-well and being revolted by the Judge's intentions with the boy and doing nothing is the perfect example of him choosing not to dance. And everyone who chooses to not dance dies a meaningless death.
Though the Man says that he doesn't dance, the depth of his morality and his sadism is never explored in the book, as during the violent scenes we are never told to what extent he is participating in the bloodshed. However, it seems that he is not as cold-hearted as Glanton, Davey or the Delawares, as evidenced by the compassion he shows towards the man he is instructed to execute when the gang are fleeing from the Mexican army.
Because the kid is young and seems to have not completely fallen into depravity, he is given an opportunity to dance by God or the universe or whatever; the scene when he finds a burning tree victim of a lightning strike alone in the snowy forest while catching up with the gang.
While I don't believe like some that Blood Meridian is a direct continuation of the Biblical narrative, the parallels are obvious. How does God speak to Moses in the desert? Through a burning bush. Likewise, He is sending the Kid a message through this oasis in the forest; that this is his last chance to dance.
Desertion is the most extreme offense in the gang, and here the Kid is given the opportunity to leave them behind. But he chooses not to and later regroups with them. He has chosen to be indifferent; to not dance, and has sealed his fate.
Years later the Man tries to change; he keeps a bible with him even though he can't read and when he finds the failed pilgrimage in the desert he is fully committed to helping the sole survivor; he explains to her that he will do whatever he can to help, but when he turns her over, she's already dead. He made his choice years ago and his fate is sealed; he doesn't like to dance, and because of that he can never be truly good.
His final decision of dancing or not dancing is by no means literal; dancing in a bar is not morally good or bad, but it represents the choice he made years ago to not dance, and his decision leads to him being raped, murdered, and mutilated in the most savage way possible by the Judge.
The only character in the book that dares to dance with the Judge is Tobin, and he is the only gang member that we never learn the fate of; maybe he dies of his wounds, maybe he joins another gang, maybe he rejoins the priesthood, who knows? But us not knowing his fate means that it has not been sealed by his actions, or rather his inaction; in other words because he dared to dance his fate is left open-ended.
Blood Meridian is a tragedy because the Kid comes so close to dancing (choosing to confront evil) but in the end doesn't, so the Judge punishes him for it.
Early in the book the Kid asks Tobin what is the Judge a judge of? And is dismissed. 30 years later he is judged by him, and dealt what the Judge believes to be an appropriate punishment.
Anyway, that's just what I think, maybe I'm completely wrong. What do you guys think of this conclusion?
TL;DR
I think that the story's message is that evil is eternal; as the Judge says it doesn't sleep and will never die, and it's always dancing. It cannot be extinguished, however it can be subdued. And the only way to subdue it is to have the balls to stand up and dance with it on your own accord; in other words to dare to dance with the devil.
This was a terrific read and I would definitely recommend. I've been looking to get back into reading for a while, and this book inspired me to read more. 10/10.
I finished the book a few days ago and, wow. It's definitely the best book I've ever read, though I'm not much of a reader. I actually messaged my old english teacher to talk to him about it because I remember him mentioning McCarthy, and he said that he doesn't talk about it in class because of the contents.
I'm getting back into reading and while Blood Meridian was definitely worth it I wish that I had started with an easier book; it was tough, there were words I've never heard before, philosophical monologues that I couldn't wrap my head around their point, entire conversations in Spanish, and no punctuation to identify dialogue.
However I loved everything. The descriptions are excellent and drawn-out but never get boring, the setting is utilised so well, the characters are all amazing, and even if the book confuses you it is clear that beneath the epic narrative there is a deep, meaningful thematic message being told.
\*SPOILERS AHEAD\*
The Judge is the most unsettling person I have ever seen in both fiction and reality. He was always mysterious and creepy but for me he became truly horrific near the end.
When Glanton comes back from San Diego to the gang's fortress on the Colorado River and sees him standing on a ridge wearing primitive clothing like some apocalyptic warlord; it was only then, not during his sermon about war like most, that I began to understand how evil he is, and I got chills.
And when I realised that he's a pedophile and my mind flashed to all the seemingly irrelevant scenes of him being around or interested in children only for them to disappear or be found dead I experienced disgust and fear that I've never had before from fiction.
I re-read some scenes and the one that both scares me the most and I believe to be most thematically important is in the abandoned mine in New Mexico when he asks the men about the mixed-race boy living there and Glanton spits and shakes his head. When I realised that he knew exactly what the Judge planned to do and did nothing to stop him I no-joke screamed. I actually screamed out loud. That really hit me like a truck.
I just wanted to express how masterfully McCarthy wrote him, but anyway, onto my analysis.
ANALYSIS (TL;DR at bottom)
I watched some YouTube videos about the book and have to say that Wendigoon's analysis makes the most sense to me, not just because it's more optimistic than most. I'll extrapolate on it a bit because I don't think he spent enough time on it in his video.
CONTEXT:
In the penultimate scene the Judge talks to the Man about dancing in a saloon. He says that all the members of the gang didn't dance. Then he asks the Man if he dances. I'm sure that after spending a year listening the the Judge's vague idealistic monologues around the campfire the Man was sick of his silver tongue so gave it no thought, because he says something about him not liking dancing. Then the Judge says that he himself is always dancing. Soon after that he seems to just disappear and the Man spends some time with a prostitute.
When he returns to the main hall he sees everyone is dancing jollily. He is faced with the choice of joining in or leaving through the back door. He leaves and is murdered by the Judge in the outhouse.
The final scene is the Judge dancing and fiddling amongst the crowd. He says the he's always dancing, that he never sleeps, and that he'll never die.
A very common opinion regarding the book is that the Judge is the devil, and I definitely agree, there are numerous things eluding to this that I won't mention, I don't want this post to get too long.
So the Judge is evil in the flesh. He says that he's always dancing, that he doesn't sleep, and that he'll never die. The meaning of this is that evil is eternal and can never be destroyed. However, he says that the gang doesn't dance, and the Man unintentionally agrees with his metaphorical point by saying he doesn't like dancing.
The gang and the Man not dancing mean that they don't confront evil. When fiction intends for violence to be disturbing it is usually because either how grotesque it is or that the perpetrator derives pleasure from it. What disturbed me most about the violence in Blood Meridian (especially the raid on the Apache village) was neither of these things; rather the sheer indifference that the gang (excluding the Judge ofc) had towards it.
Them being apathetic to evil is them choosing to not dance with it. The argument of psychopathy is dismissed by the scene I mentioned earlier where Glanton is disgusted by the Judge raping and murdering the child, as well as the scene where Toadvine threatens to shoot him for killing the Apache child. Glanton knowing full-well and being revolted by the Judge's intentions with the boy and doing nothing is the perfect example of him choosing not to dance. And everyone who chooses to not dance dies a meaningless death.
Though the Man says that he doesn't dance, the depth of his morality and his sadism is never explored in the book, as during the violent scenes we are never told to what extent he is participating in the bloodshed. However, it seems that he is not as cold-hearted as Glanton, Davey or the Delawares, as evidenced by the compassion he shows towards the man he is instructed to execute when the gang are fleeing from the Mexican army.
Because the kid is young and seems to have not completely fallen into depravity, he is given an opportunity to dance by God or the universe or whatever; the scene when he finds a burning tree victim of a lightning strike alone in the snowy forest while catching up with the gang.
While I don't believe like some that Blood Meridian is a direct continuation of the Biblical narrative, the parallels are obvious. How does God speak to Moses in the desert? Through a burning bush. Likewise, He is sending the Kid a message through this oasis in the forest; that this is his last chance to dance.
Desertion is the most extreme offense in the gang, and here the Kid is given the opportunity to leave them behind. But he chooses not to and later regroups with them. He has chosen to be indifferent; to not dance, and has sealed his fate.
Years later the Man tries to change; he keeps a bible with him even though he can't read and when he finds the failed pilgrimage in the desert he is fully committed to helping the sole survivor; he explains to her that he will do whatever he can to help, but when he turns her over, she's already dead. He made his choice years ago and his fate is sealed; he doesn't like to dance, and because of that he can never be truly good.
His final decision of dancing or not dancing is by no means literal; dancing in a bar is not morally good or bad, but it represents the choice he made years ago to not dance, and his decision leads to him being raped, murdered, and mutilated in the most savage way possible by the Judge.
The only character in the book that dares to dance with the Judge is Tobin, and he is the only gang member that we never learn the fate of; maybe he dies of his wounds, maybe he joins another gang, maybe he rejoins the priesthood, who knows? But us not knowing his fate means that it has not been sealed by his actions, or rather his inaction; in other words because he dared to dance his fate is left open-ended.
Blood Meridian is a tragedy because the Kid comes so close to dancing (choosing to confront evil) but in the end doesn't, so the Judge punishes him for it.
Early in the book the Kid asks Tobin what is the Judge a judge of? And is dismissed. 30 years later he is judged by him, and dealt what the Judge believes to be an appropriate punishment.
Anyway, that's just what I think, maybe I'm completely wrong. What do you guys think of this conclusion?
TL;DR
I think that the story's message is that evil is eternal; as the Judge says it doesn't sleep and will never die, and it's always dancing. It cannot be extinguished, however it can be subdued. And the only way to subdue it is to have the balls to stand up and dance with it on your own accord; in other words to dare to dance with the devil.
This was a terrific read and I would definitely recommend. I've been looking to get back into reading for a while, and this book inspired me to read more. 10/10.
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